Tobacco can



Dec. 7, 1948. G. v. \YNIYLSON ETAL 2,455,633

TOBACCO CAN Filed July 25, 1945 ililllll llllllllllllll g WITNESSES: INVENTORS EOR W (IV/1.80M

lim/:1. F! DARK/Ms ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 7, 1948 This inventio" e the type commonlwusew as eontarner fr r ceiving and marketing a small quantity of smoking tobacco,and impo t objects and advantages-oftheinventibn re to provide a tobacco can of the character described, which embodies conveniently opereblemee "for successively elevating thetobaoco 'withinwthe c'an in order to allow the contents to be easily removed fromthe upper end of theacontainer as thettobaccois used up, which inclddesasectiiin'all separate wrapper for the-itbbacco so that the-' etii'ptied portions of said nwrapper maybe readilynemoved t further facilitate the removah of the t required, which is simplein itscdnstruetibri an'd arrangement, durable and eihcient in its use, compact, attractive in appearance, and comparatively economical in its manufacture.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts herein specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, but it is to be understood that changesin the form, proportions and details of construction may be resorted to that come within the scope of the claim hereunto appended.

In the drawing wherein like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view, partly in cross section, of a tobacco can constructedin accordance with the invention. Figure 2 is a bottom plan view thereof. Figure 3 is a top plan view of the shiftable bottom embodied in the present invention. Figure 4 is a front elevational view of a tobacco can embodying a modified form of shiftable bottom. Figure 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the modified form of tobacco can, and Figure 6 is a top plan view of the modified shiftable bottom.

Referring in detail to the drawing I represents a container for tobacco generally of the conventional construction and contour now in common use for marketing a small quantity of smoking tobacco. The container may be constructedjof sheet metal or of any other suitable material, and is provided with a hinged lid 2, at its top, in the usual manner.

The container l comprises the comparatively wide, flat, front and back walls 3 and 4, and the relatively narrow, rounded side walls, respectively indicated at 5 and 6. The lower edge margins of all of said walls are turned inwardly to form an interiorly disposed r011 flange 1 which provides PATENT em ce ,rWilson and Sampel Pi Darkins, flomestead Paland surrounds a large openingt 8 atthelowerend moved 1 mm the container through the opening that the lower end '01 'said container.

Thevbottomv 9 isi normally slightly arcuat'ed;

'- with 'its convex"=curvature being disposed up;

wardly. The periphe'ral contour of the bottom conforms generally to the transverse crots sec' tionallshape of: the" interior ofthe container' l." Each dvof" the -bottom .is provided with an upwafdly projectin-g retaining flange; respectively indicated at I0 and H. The retaining flanges are concavo-convex in transverse cross section to conform to the inner surface contours of the rounded side walls 5 and 6, against which latter said retaining flanges are frictionally engaged.

It will here be noted that, when the bottom 9 is straightened by pressure upon its convex top surface, the retaining flanges 10 and II extend vertically at right angles with respect to said straightened bottom, and the entire outer surface areas of said retaining flanges are frictionally engaged by the adjacent inner surfaces of respective side walls 5 and 6.

As the resiliency of the bottom 9 tends to maintain the arcuate disposition of the bottom, it will be obvious that, normally only the top edges of the retaining flanges Ill and I I will be in engagement with respective side walls 5 and 6, while the latter are slightly spaced from the lower ends of said flanges, as clearly illustrated in Figure 1. Such edge engagement of the flanges will facilitate the elevating adjustment of the bottom 9, but the spreading action of the resiliently tensed bottom 9 will retain the latter in the adjusted position in the container I. The height of the retaining flanges and the engagement of the latter with the side walls 5 and B prevents the displacement of the bottom 9 from its horizontal position in the container.

The tobacco [3, sold in the container l, is enclosed, for preservative purposes, in a tough, waxed paper wrapper It in the usual manner. As the tobacco is used up, the periodic adjustment, to elevate the tobacco, will project the in practice, the elevating adjustment of the bottom 9 in the container I is effected by simply inserting one or several fingers through the opening 8 at the lower end of the container, and pushing upwardly against said bottom to force the latter, together with the wrapped tobacco, to the desired elevated position.

While tobacco is being removed from the container I the operation necessarily involves some downward pressure upon the wrapped tobacco usually caused by releasing the top of the packed tobacco by finger digging action, so that the latter may be poured from the container into a pipe or upon a cigarette paper.

As the lower end of the wrapped tobacco is seated normally upon the center of the upwardly convexed bottom 9, as shown in Figure 1, the downward pressure, caused by the tobacco removal operation, will be imparted to said bottom and tend to straighten the latter. This straightening action expands the bottom longitudinally and causes the full areas of the retaining flanges l and II to engage respective side walls 5 and 6 under the increased spreading tension of the depressed bottom, thereby securing the latter against downward movement in the container during the tobacco removal operations.

The modified form of container I5, disclosed in Figures 4, 5, and 6, has each of its rounded side walls l6 formed with a vertically aligned row of horizontally extending corrugations H. The normally upwardly bowed shiftable bottom l8 has each of its ends formed with an extension or retaining lug. H! which engages in opposed corrugations H in respective side walls 18. Owing to the curvature of the bottom I8, the latter may be shifted upwardly in the container [6, but can not be forced in the downward direction. In practice, the operation of the modified form of the the device is identical to that described relatively to the preferred form.

The present invention provides a most efiicient device of its kind, which may be economically manufactured, and successfully employed for the purpose and in the manner herein set forth.

What we claim is:

The combination with a tobacco can including a pair of side walls, of a shiftable resilient bottom mounted in the can, said bottom being bowed longitudinally with the convex curvature thereof being disposed upwardly, an upwardly disposed retaining flange carried at each end of said bottom, the free top edge portion of each of said flanges frictionally engaging the inner surface of respective side walls, and the lower attached end of each of said flanges being spaced from the inner surface of respective side walls.

GEORGE V. WILSON. I SAMUEL P. DARKINS.

'REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,148,947 Boylan' Aug. 3, 1915 1,213,524 Clifton Mar. 6, 1917 1,835,278 Case Dec. 8, 1931 

